The Gift of Destiny, The Power of Destruction
by Amethyst Wind
Summary: The Titans discover that they are not as powerful as they believe as they meet new friends, enemies and new experiences. Crossover with two other things, but telling you what would ruin the surprise, see if you can figure it out for yourself.
1. Deprivation

Disclaimer : I do not own the names of the main characters featured in this fanfiction, they are the property of others.

Chapter 1 - Deprivation

A young man walked down the roads of Jump City, heading towards the sounds of battle.

_The great tournament is approaching, _he thought, _I was hoping that they would've awakened by now, but since they have not I have decided to force the issue. Only when they have awoken will they be of any use to me._

The young man smiled as he came in sight of his targets. They were all wildly different in appearance, a green one, a muscled one with gleaming metal for skin., a short girl with a chakra on her forehead, a slim orange-skinned girl with emerald eyes, and a black haired young man in a mask.

_I've found you at last, _thought Zeke, _now it's time for you to realise your true potential._

The battle is soon over, Zeke watches the troops in orange and black retreat, but he doesn't pay them much attention. He turns back to the group of super powered warriors and begins a slow, mocking applause. The group, who had been talking amongst themselves, except for the dark girl who had been staring at him since the fight was over, finally became aware of Zeke and approached him. The masked boy stepped forward.

"This place is dangerous, who are you?" he asked, the others leaned forward to hear the answer. Zeke smiled and replied.

"Why I am the future ruler of this planet." The masked boy's expression changed and Zeke could tell that beneath the mask his eyes had narrowed.

"What!?" he replied angrily. The others all tensed, becoming, in his opinion, what they thought was ready for battle.

"You can't stop me, you have no power." Zeke stated simply.

"Wanna bet?" challenged the Cyborg as his right arm rearranged itself into a cannon, which he aimed at Zeke. Zeke chuckled.

"You still believe that your gifts are your own? Then I will have to show you the folly of your ways." Zeke brought out a belt from beneath his cloak, on it were five obsidian stones shaped like tombstones. He held them at arms length and closed his eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration. When he opened his eyes, a furious wind flew around the titans, and they all fell to the ground as incredible pain grasped at their hearts. The orange skinned one and the green skinned one screamed in pain, while the dark girl gritted her teeth and muttered "Azerath Metrion Zinthos." over and over again. Zeke watched in silence into a ghostly image began to appear above the cyborg, when he saw this Zeke struck the top tombstone and aimed it at the cyborg.

Cyborg gasped at the light above him, and he thought he saw an image of a man, muscled like himself, wielding a great axe in one hand, and then he blacked out. The others were going through similar experiences, and every time a figure appeared above one of the Titans Zeke would use a different tombstone and ensnare the figures within them. When all the Titans had been deprived of their projections Zeke departed, leaving the Titans to collapse behind him.

Robin came to first, slowly, as though he hadn't slept in months, he tried to get up and ready himself for battle, but his body reacted sluggishly, and he realised with a start that he couldn't remember what a fighting stance was like. He got up and saw Raven and Starfire doing the same, he moved towards them but his foot hit something. He picked it up and looked at it, but it was written in a language that he didn't know. He looked up at Raven to ask her whether she knew the language, but she wasn't looking at him, neither was Starfire, they were both staring behind him. He turned, and was shocked at what he saw.

Beast Boy was staring at his hands in wonder, his usually green skin had changed to similar to Robin's, except more tanned, and he looked up at them with Jade-green eyes, darker than Starfire's, and there were tears in them.

"I……I'm normal." he managed, before he burst into tears of joy. The Titans moved towards him when Cyborg spoke up,

"HELL YEAH! Check it out y'all, I'm back to normal, I ain't Cyborg no more. BOOYA!" He cried with a look of pure enjoyment on his face. Starfire began to run to him with a look of jubilation on her face, then stopped, and looked down.

"What is wrong, I am happy, I should be flying, yet I cannot." She looked back up at them, horror in her eyes.

"What has happened, why can I no longer fly?" She cried, and flung herself into Robin's arms.

Raven and Beast Boy also looked stricken as they too sought to employ their talents to no avail.

"Dude, what the hell is going on? Why can't I change?" Yelled Beast Boy as he tried in vain to morph into an animal, any animal, but it was no use……he had lost his gift.

Raven was significantly calmer than the others and she had accepted that her powers didn't work after she had tried to move a straw on the pavement and nothing had happened. Raven, being as analytical and thoughtful as she was, saw this as an opportunity, and began to think of the possibilities. She felt herself growing excited, and she turned to Beast Boy, who was staring at nothing in particular, and grasped him by the shoulders, turning his head towards her.

"Beast Boy, could you tell me a joke please?" She asked. Beast Boy looked up at her, and his expression brightened. He leapt up with a smile, rubbing his hands together.

"OKAY, I've been waiting for this day for a long time, Raven. Listen close now, a horse walked into the bar and the barkeep says 'Why the long face?'" he finished, his expression hopeful.

To his delight, Raven burst out laughing. The other Titans ran for cover in case something exploded. When Raven noticed this, her laughter renewed, and it took a while before she calmed down. When she did, she turned to them with a smile on her face and stated four simple words.

"We've lost our powers."


	2. Revelation

Disclaimer : I do not own the names of the main characters featured in this fanfiction, they are the property of others.

Author's note : Edited chapter 1, I decided to keep Beast Boy's hair green, it has no particular relevance to the story, I just thought that he didn't suit any other colour.

Chapter 2 – Revelation

The Titans returned to the Tower in silence, each contemplating the events of the day. The moment they entered the Tower they separated, Cyborg went to the garage to work on his car, Robin went to the Gym to try and regain his fighting prowess, Starfire fled to her room in grief, Beast Boy flopped down onto the couch, and Raven went to the shoreline and stared in wonder at the beauty of the ocean. A wave of regret rolled over her, but quickly turned to exultation when she realised she could feel sadness without causing harm.

_I've missed so much_, she thought, _it's good to be human again._

She lay down in the sunshine, silently cherishing this new opportunity, until a sea breeze floated in and she headed inside where it was warmer.

Inside, Beast Boy was channel surfing by habit, his fingers contracting by reflex, his attention inward, completely oblivious to the flickering images. He was lying face up on the couch, staring at nothing, his head propped up by his free hand, fingers twined in his green hair.

_What now? I'm normal again, but so what? _His previous joy at the situation had evaporated._ My parents are gone, and I can't be a Teen Titan without my powers, so what do I do now?_ Lost in thought, he didn't notice Raven enter and sit down on the couch near his feet.

"Beast Boy?"

"Yaagh!" Startled, he tried to jump back but only ended up falling off the couch. He got up to see Raven sniggering quietly, his frustration at being surprised fading away at the sight.

"Oh Raven, it's you, what's up?" Her expression became serious.

"I was just wondering what we do now, we'll have a hard time defending the city from Slade without our powers." She replied.

"I was just thinking the same thing. That's kinda creepy." Raven didn't say anything, but she decided to have a little fun with him.

"So you think I'm creepy?" She asked, mock sadness on her face.

"NO, not at all, I didn't mean that Rae, I'm sorry, really!" She struggled to hold her laughter in as he floundered. When she thought he'd had enough she relented.

"'Sokay Beast Boy, I was just messing around, don't worry." She chuckled. Beast Boy immediately stopped apologising, looked at her for a second, then grinned widely. He was about to congratulate her when a voice spoke up.

"That was great Raven, you could teach B.B. here a thing or two, like the fact that jokes are meant to be funny." Joked Cyborg as he walked over. Beast Boy scowled at the two ganging up on him.

"Oh Ha Ha Cy, I suppose you know all about funny do you, being the king of comedy that you are." He shot back sarcastically.

"I'm funnier than you, Jello head!"

"At least I've got hair Baldie, hey, I think I can see my reflection! Now that's funny, back me up here Rae!"

Raven watched fondly as the two friends fell into one of their arguments, this time throwing vastly different insults at each other than the ones they usually used. After te argument went on for a few minutes she picked up the remote and was about to turn the TV back on, as Cyborg had accidentally stepped on the remote when he walked up, when she noticed Starfire enter the room. Raven turned round on the couch and looked fully at her, she noticed that Starfire didn't look her cheery self, she had not gotten any smaller, but she seemed……diminished somehow. Raven decided to try to help her as much as possible.

"Hey Starfire, you okay?" When the Orange-skinned alien didn't respond Raven tried again, "Starfire?"

Starfire's eyes seemed to focus and she finally became aware that she was being spoken to. She looked towards the others.

"Yes, friend Raven, what is it?" Raven became concerned.

"Is something wrong Starfire, you don't seem to be yourself."

"I have lost my way." Beast Boy and Cyborg had stopped arguing and were listening to the conversation. Beast Boy looked at Starfire in confusion.

"What do you mean Star, how have you lost your way?"

"I have lost my powers, I cannot use my Starbolts to fight to protect the city, I cannot use my strength to help those in need, and as I can no longer fly I cannot even return to Tameran, I am lost." She stated sadly as tears began to run down her face. The other Titans moved to comfort her, but a voice spoke up from the doorway.

"You are not lost, young one, you are merely back at the beginning."

The Titans looked up to see a man in Native American robes standing in the doorway. Cyborg and Beast Boy ran forward to protect the girls and Robin quickly burst in from the hall and joined them. When Robin spoke, his voice dripped with hatred.

"Who are you? Are you with that guy who attacked us before, ANSWER ME!"

"My name is Silva. To answer your other question, no I am not with him, his name is Zeke, and he seeks to destroy the world of humans."

"Wait, hold on…" said Beast Boy suspiciously, "He said he wanted to rule the planet, not destroy it." Silva smiled.

"You are correct, he does want to rule the planet, but he also wants to destroy all of the humans of the world, and leave only those who have unique gifts, only those who's connection to the world of spirits is stronger than that of average humans. Zeke wishes the world to be inhabited only by Shaman." Silva explained.

"How can we trust what you're saying?" challenged Cyborg.

"You must look inside your heart, and decide for yourself what path you will take. Whether you believe me or not is all up to you, and the guidance of your heart."

"What's a Shaman?" Inquired Starfire. Silva turned to face her.

"A Shaman is a link to the world beyond, Shaman may communicate directly with those who have left this world, and in extreme cases, Shaman can combine their power with those Spirits, gaining their knowledge and wisdom, and become vastly more powerful, but only as long as that bond lasts." Suddenly Cyborg stepped forward.

"Tell me, when Zeke did…whatever he did to us, I saw someone, someone I've never seen before, was that a Spirit?" Silva nodded.

"Yes, that was a Spirit, I'm sure each of you other saw someone as well, for before a Shaman can truly become powerful, they must find their own Guardian Ghost, this is the personal Spirit of that Shaman, the one whom they share their power with, the one who they trust to protect and guide them," he turned, facing each of the Titans, one at a time,

"Those were you're Guardian Ghosts, for you all are Shaman."

Author's note : I know this chapter wasn't particularly exciting, I just wanted to show some of the characters reactions to loosing their powers. Silva will explain more next chapter.

R& R please.


	3. Acceptance

Disclaimer : I do not own the names of the main characters in this fic, they are the property of others.

Chapter 3 - Acceptance

The Titans stared at Silva in disbelief. Robin was the first to find his voice.

"Shaman? Us? We can't be Shaman, we've never fought with Spirits before, we've always had our powers, we never needed ghosts to use them." Silva smiled before replying.

"Actually, you've always fought with your Guardian Ghosts, they have always been there, you have been in connection with them without realising it. This speaks of incredible potential in all of you, as only the world's most powerful Shaman can remain in Spirit Form at all times, I believe that this was aided by the fact that you were unaware of your Ghosts, but you are all undoubtedly powerful nonetheless."

The Titans considered this before Robin spoke again.

"So if we're so powerful, how come we don't have our powers anymore, Star can't fly, Beast Boy can't change, Cy's normal and so is Raven, and I can't even get through a warm up without being winded!" After hearing this, Silva's smile faded and he became serious again.

"You are weaker than you have been because your bodies have relied on your Spirits for so long, since you first used your powers in fact, and in the case of Victor Stone here, even longer."

"Hey! How do you know my name?" Cyborg started, but Robin cut him off.

"Not now Cyborg, what do you mean since we first used our powers?" Silva closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at each one of them in turn.

Robin. "Since your first battle to save a life, and the courage and skill you demonstrated there."

Raven. "Since you first unleashed your emotions, and the havoc that that wrought."

Beast Boy. "Since that fateful day when you lost your parents." At this a knowing look passed between Beast Boy and Silva, and both nodded at the unspoken truth.

Cyborg. "You are different in that you have achieved two levels of Spirit Form, the first, Spirit Unity, was achieved when you pushed yourself past your limits for the first time, when you were an athlete. The second level, Spirit Control, was achieved when you became the Cyborg." He was about to turn to Starfire when Raven spoke up.

"You mentioned two levels, what's the difference between them?"

"Spirit Unity is where you take your Guardian Ghost's spirit into your own body, and using it's power, greatly increase the capabilities of yourself, this is the first level as you are only using the power of your Spirit, not your own, as both are used in level 2, Spirit Control.

Spirit Control is where you do not take your Spirit into your body, but embody it in an object of your choice. In the case of Cyborg, when your body was damaged in an accident, the metal used to replace your body was the medium for your Spirit Control, not only that, but when you achieved that form the damage to your body was repaired, and the metal is mow mere armour, you only need where one piece into battle to achieve Spirit Control, so you may now fight as a human or a Cyborg, and after a battle you can disengage Spirit Control and return to human." Silva turned to Beast Boy "You also have achieved Spirit Control, but the machine your parents used to cure your disease allowed you to bypass the Spirit Unity level, so you have yet to experience it, but if you find your Guardian you can fight using either Unity or Control and return to the way you are now when you are finished." Beast Boy looked confused, then looked up.

"So if Cy's had his ghost in his armour, where've I had mine?"

"You wear a necklace with animal totems correct?" Beast Boy nodded and pulled it out. "Your Guardian Ghost inhabits the chain, and when you wish to change the spirits of the animals will enter those totems so your Guardian Ghost may utilise those forms, when the battle is over the animals will leave the totems and return to the Spirit World, but your Guardian Ghost can call on them whenever the need arises." Beast Boy held the necklace up to his eyes and Silva turned to Robin and Raven.

"You two are no doubt wondering which level you achieve when you battle. Robin, you achieve Spirit Unity, using your Ghost's power to fight, not your own, which explains why you are feeling so drained.

Raven, like Beast Boy and Cyborg, you can achieve Spirit Control. When your father Trigon first attempted to escape from your body, your emotions unleashed his power, which opened a gateway from Azerath to the Spirit World, which your Guardian Ghost used to find you. Your Spirit bonded with you in Spirit Control and together you repressed Trigon. You did this by unconsciously channelling your Spirit into the Chakra on your forehead. Like Cyborg, you have achieved Spirit Unity also, as in the brief moments before you received your Guardian Ghost, you were holding Trigon in your body, using his power, since then you have only used Spirit Control, and have not yet engaged in Spirit Unity, either with Trigon or your Spirit." He finished, and Raven began to look frightened.

"But if I don't have my Guardian Ghost, what's to stop Trigon from getting out again? Tell me!" She begged. Silva took her by the shoulders.

"Calm down Raven, Zeke's extraction of your Guardian Ghost has left Trigon very weak, it will be some time before he is strong enough to try."

"How long? Please, you have to stop him, I can't go through that again, I CAN'T!" She shrieked. Beast Boy and Starfire took her by the shoulders, led her to the couch and sat her down. Silva straightened and turned to Raven.

"Fear not Raven, for I have been sent to help you regain your gifts. You will not be helpless for long." He intoned solemnly. As he finished, Starfire, still attending to Raven, spoke without looking up.

"You have not explained about my powers." Silva chuckled.

"Very true young Tameranian…" Starfire gasped "Don't worry, we of the Shaman Council have known of and cooperated with the Tameranians for centuries.

You are very lucky child, in that Zeke does not know very much about Tameranians, for he did not know that he was wrong about you, despite what he said, your gifts are indeed your own."

"But if that is so then please tell me why I cannot use them?" Starfire inquired hopefully.

"Tameranian powers function naturally on your home planet of Tameran, but elsewhere they need……a catalyst."

"My Guardian Ghost?"

"Precisely, your Guardian Ghost, when you achieved Spirit Unity with them, for that is the level you are on, when you achieve this your body is modified temporarily so as to adapt to this planet and unleash your powers."

"So if I ever wish to return to Tameran I must find my Guardian Ghost!" Silva nodded, then looked at the others.

"You all must leave this city and find your Guardian Ghosts, for without them you will surely fall to Zeke." No sooner had he said this when Robin exploded.

"We can't leave the city! Zeke isn't the only concern here, in this city there is a villain known as Slade, we've been fighting him for months, we can't just pack up and leave!"

"Do not concern yourself with Slade, others will take your place." Silva raised his hand and lowered it again, and five figures dressed as he was appeared behind him, the disappeared seconds later. Seeing their confused and shocked faces, he explained,

"Shaman Council officiators, like myself, they shall guard the city in your stead. If there are no other concerns, I must now ask you something. Do you wish to embark on a journey to find your Guardians, to regain your powers, to help us to defeat Zeke, or not?"

Robin looked to all of the others, saw each nod, then turned to Silva.

"We're all in Silva." Silva nodded.

"Very well, but you must all find your own path to becoming a Shaman, your friends cannot go with you, and I cannot do more than point you in the right direction." Silva reached into his cloak and withdrew a map, which he spread out on the table.

"To find your Guardians, you must travel to the other side of the world, you must travel……here." He said, placing his finger over a certain point on the map. Beast Boy peered under his finger and read the name of the country.

"China? Why China?" He asked.

"I do not know, but that is the way that the Spirits indicate. I can tell you no more." Answered Silva.

"Alright," Robin began "if you say China then we're heading to China. Get ready team, cause this will be our most important mission ever, and it'll be our last if we don't get out Spirits back, so prepare yourselves, because we're heading out." He looked at them, and then his gaze took in the city they had sworn to protect, the others looked too. Without taking his gaze from the city, Robin spoke,

"And we will be the Teen Titans once again."

Author's note : Okay, I'm done explaining the Teen Titans/ Shaman King crossover, now the real story begins, expect more excitement from this point on, because I don't have anything more to explain, and now it's time for a bit of action in the story.


	4. The Eternal Guardian

Disclaimer : I do not own the main characters in this fic.

Chapter 4 – The Eternal Guardian

Zeke stood high upon a hilltop, the belt of tombstones held loosely in his hand. He smiled.

"They have begun their journey, and they will need their Guardian Ghosts, so I can no longer hold them here." He raised his hand and the tombstones began glowing. Zeke focused on them.

"Go now, return to your places of piece." With that five nimbus's of light rose from the stones and shot off in to the east.

Cyborg was walking across vast acres of rice fields in the mountains. He was not happy.

"Aw man why didn't I bring the T-car? I'm in China for hell's sake, I don't know where anything is and I could've got around a lot faster with the T-car!" He sobered up as the real reason for his ranting forced it's way into his thoughts.

Course, he thought, now that I'm human I don't even know if the T-car'll work anymore, I designed it to work with Cyborg, link with his systems, how's it gonna work with Victor Stone?

He shook himself out of these thoughts and saw that the Sun was setting.

"I guess I better find someplace to sleep for the night." He took out a map, there were translations into English for the place names. He noticed that this part of the country was pretty rural, with not much in the way of man-made structures, one place caught his eye however.

"I guess I'll have to try this Wan Castle, I hope they've got some rooms to spare." With that he set of in the direction of the castle, seeing it's faint glow in the distance, within the mountains.

"Whoa, I did not see this coming." Cyborg stared in confusion at the scene before him, when he had seen the castle on the map he had expected a historical place, lovingly maintained by students of that history, but what he saw before him was completely different. The whole place was alive, there were lanterns strung from every wall, musicians playing and people dancing, there was food to be eaten and fun to be had, it was like he'd wandered into a festival in Jump City park. He noticed a smiling old mad approaching him, and turned to greet him, but when the man spoke, Cyborg remembered that he was not in Jump City, let alone in America, and he couldn't understand what the man was saying, luckily, Silva had taught him a Chinese phrase which should help out in the situation.

" I am sorry, I do not speak Chinese, I am from America, do you know anyone who speaks English that I may talk to " The old man's grin widened, and he nodded.

"You may talk to me young man. I speak the language of your country." Cyborg returned his smile.

"Great, I'm sorry to bother you, but I need a place to stay for the night, do you have anything available?" The old man's expression turned thoughtful.

"Well I'm afraid we are quite busy with the festival…" He began, Cyborg nodded in disappointment.

"Okay, I guess I expected that, sorry to bother you, I'll be going now." He turned to leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait friend, I said we were busy, I never said we were full. Of course you can stay here, but there is one condition." The old man replied ominously.

Cyborg gulped. "What's the condition?" The old man's grin returned.

"That you join us in our celebration of course, we can't have a guest miss out, especially on such a sacred night." Cyborg exhaled in relief, then faced the old man again.

"Thanks a bunch, um…"

"Rik Zon."

"Yeah, thanks Rik Zon, but what's so special about tonight?"

"Tonight is the Festival of the Eternal Guardian, the anniversary of the Battle at this castle over 1000 years ago. Where the great warrior gave his life so that the residents of this castle could live."

"And who was this great warrior?"

"I cannot speak his name tonight, as we believe that on this night all those years ago he left his mortal self behind and ascended to the heavens as a legend, far above humans, it is our belief that on this night names are for humans, and legends need no names as all here know his deeds in the past, and his deeds in the present, as he watches over this castle even now." Rik Zon raised his arm and indicated a statue of marble and stone across the courtyard, it was a person, but Cyborg couldn't make out much because there were strings of lanterns blocking his view. He shrugged and turned back to Rik Zon.

"I guess I'll find out tomorrow then." The old man nodded.

"Very good, but for now, enjoy yourself."

The party continued into the early hours of the morning, but was over before dawn. At dawn, Cyborg was awakened by voices and footsteps outside his room. He got up silently and crept behind the door just as it opened. 3 soldiers in green uniform crept in, but on seeing his empty bunk they began to speak in agitated voices.

"Where is he?"

"Our spy said he would be right here." The 3 soldiers turned to his companions and silenced them with a chop of his hand.

"Be quiet both of you, if he's not here then we'll have to leave him, we have others to kill before the main force arrives." Upon hearing the work "kill" Cyborg's eyes widened and he readied himself to fight, even without his armour he was strong and fast due to his athletic training, he felt reasonably certain he could stop these men, assassins were never good at close quarters combat anyway. He waited until the first soldier was halfway out of the door before he exploded up out of his crouch, slamming the door shut and crushing the soldier between the door and the doorframe, he dropped, unconscious. The second soldier leapt at him, but Cyborg dwarfed him by almost half and caught him with ease, he threw him back into the charging third man and hit them both with the handle from the first soldier's knife to knock them out, ending the fight.

He peered out of the room to make sure that the coast was clear, then turned back to the men in his room, but to his surprise…

"Where did they go?" The men were gone, as was their weapons, in fact, all traces of the assassins were gone, it was like they were never there at all. He would've investigated further but sounds of battle came through the door. He cursed silently and ran out of the door. As he neared the courtyard the sounds grew louder, and he sprang around the corner into the courtyard ready to face whatever was out there.

He faced an empty courtyard.

He looked around in astonishment, he was sure that the sounds had come from here, so where was everyone, where was the battle. He looked this way and that, until his eyes settled on the statue, and he forgot all other concerns. He ran up to the statue, as tall as he was, depicting the "great hero" that Rik Zon had talked off.

"I know him, that's the guy I saw when that psycho Zeke zapped us!" He put his hand on the statue's arm only to snatch it away, he looked at his hand, crimson blood dripped from it.

"Aah!" He backed away from the statue, looked at it, saw nothing and looked down at his hand again.

There was no blood.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" He roared. A strangled cry came from behind him. He spun around and saw a man with the same uniform as the men in his room being stabbed through the chest by a spear held by a soldier in a blue uniform. Suddenly the silence burst into noise as images appeared all around him, soldiers in green fought soldiers in blue, bodies fell all around, and in the centre of it all was a man with a regal air wielding a Chinese long sword, he was fending off 3 green soldiers but it was clear that he couldn't keep it up. A voice thundered from behind him.

"My lord! Hold on!" Cyborg turned, and the statue was gone, the marble and stone replaced with flesh and blood, his hand gripping a mighty axe, he roared incoherently and charged at the men attacking the regal man, with mighty swings of his axe, he scattered the attackers like petals in the wind. He gripped the regal man by the arm.

"My lord Cao Cao, you must flee, this battle cannot be won!" but Cao Cao shook him off.

"Nay, Dian Wei, I must stay to ensure that the women and children may be evacuated safely. I cannot leave until that is done."

"You must!"

"I won't."

"Yes," Dian Wei said sadly, "You will." With that he slammed the handle of his axe into Cao Cao's head, rendering him unconscious. Then Dian Wei looked directly at Cyborg.

"You, take my lord from this place, hurry!" Cyborg, stunned, stammered out a reply.

"But what about you?" Dian Wei looked away.

"You heard my lord, I cannot leave until the women and children are safe, now go!" He commanded, before charging back into the battle. Cyborg took one last look at him, then grabbed Cao Cao and ran towards where a group of blue soldiers were escorting the women and children to safety. He passed Cao Cao off onto the soldiers before speaking.

"Take him out of here, I'm going back to the battle." Without waiting for a reply he grabbed a club from a fallen soldier and heading back to the battle.

He found Dian Wei surrounded on all sides by green soldiers, bleeding from his arms and legs, he was still felling opponents left and right, but while his attention was focused on a soldier behind him tried to attack with a sword, Cyborg didn't think, he just ran forward and battered the man around the head with the club, dropping him instantly. He took out 2 more before they could blink, then found himself back to back with Dian Wei. The muscled warrior looked over his shoulder quickly at him.

"Who are you who risked so much? I've never seen you before."

"My name's Victor Stone, I'm here on a mission, and it involves you somehow, Dian Wei."

"Me? But I am just a soldier, how can I help, I don't know, but we'll worry about that when we aren't surrounded, shall we?" Dian Wei laughed bruskly.

"You are wise Victor Stone, let's take care of these weaklings shall we?"

"Let's do it!" The two charged, working in concert, attacking those where there were opportunities, never hindering each other, fighting as one. They had felled all but two of their opponent's when a great shout went up and blue garbed reinforcements stormed the courtyard, driving the green soldiers back, leaving Dian Wei and Cyborg to face each other.

"Well Victor Stone, we aren't surrounded anymore, so tell me of this mission which involves me."

"Well you see I…" he began, but was cut off as Dian Wei grabbed him.

"LOOK OUT!" He shoved Cyborg out of the way just as a hail of arrows fell, striking Dian Wei again and again, the blue soldiers spotted the archers and raced after them, while Dian Wei stood their swaying, as Cyborg got up the axe clattered to the floor and he fell backwards and did not get back up. Cyborg scrambled over to him.

"Dian Wei! Hold on, we'll get help, we'll get…" he fell silent as Dian Wei raised his hand.

"No, my friend, there is nothing that can be done for me, but you must carry out your mission, and no matter what your mission is, promise me you'll always protect the innocent." He coughed. Cyborg, with tears in his eyes, nodded, and when Dian Wei raised his hand he grabbed it with one of his own.

"I swear I'll protect them Dian Wei, you have my word." He smiled despite the tears, "I only hope that one day I can protect them as well as you Dian Wei." The dying warrior looked up at him.

"You will do much better than I ever could Victor Stone, I can see it in your eyes. Remember, my power will be with you, always."

At those words Dian Wei's body began to emit a warm light, and suddenly the battle vanished, the soldiers, the bodies, the civilians, they all disappeared, leaving Cyborg back in the empty courtyard with the statue, decorations from the night before not yet cleaned up. He looked around in bewilderment.

"It was all a dream?" but then he noticed something.

Someone was still gripping his hand.

He looked down. Dian Wei smiled up at him. Astonished, Cyborg helped the big man to his feet.

"Dian Wei! But how…" the man just smiled.

"I understand now Victor Stone, it appears that we are partners in your Shaman journey, you and I."

"You're my Guardian Ghost?" Dian Wei nodded, Cyborg broke out in a smile.

"Aw yeah, go Cyborg, who would've believed I'd get one of the greatest warriors in history as my Guardian Ghost! Nobody can touch us. Booyah!" He turned to Dian Wei to shake his hand when he noticed that the spirit was not looking at him, he was looking across the courtyard, at the three figures stood there.

The assassins from his room. The first one spoke up.

"We are here to test you Victor Stone, and you too, Dian Wei, to see if you are worthy of the power you now possess."

"The rules are simple, beat us, and you will be deemed worthy."

"But lose, and you will be destroyed." With that the three drew weapons, sword, spear, axe, and ran towards them. Cyborg looked at Dian Wei.

"It's time to fight." His spirit nodded, then Dian Wei's image changed, his body swirling until only a blue ball remained, which settled into Cyborg's hand. Cyborg brought this ball to his chest and let it flow into his body.

"SPIRIT FORM!" he cried, "UNITY!" and with that he felt a great surge of power and speed. He turned to face the warriors and smiled.

The sword bearer swiped at him, but he sidestepped with ease and hook-kicked him in the temple, putting him down.

The remaining two attacked together, one coming above and left, the other below and right, Cyborg dived through the middle of their attack and flipped back up on the other side. By now the first attacker had gotten back up and the three were readying themselves for another attack. Cyborg turned inwards and felt Dian Wei's presence.

"What do we do? We can't beat them without a weapon." Cyborg said worriedly.

"If only I had my axe, then I could take care of them no problem." Replied Dian Wei. Struck by inspiration, Cyborg looked back at the statue.

"The statue! The axe is metal, I saw it last night, it's not part of the sculpture!"

"then let's use it."

"You got it." Cyborg took of running for the statue, the assassins following, luckily Cyborg had been running all his life and gained some distance on them, he reached the statue and pulled out the axe, then dived out of the way as the attackers reached them.

"It's your show now Dian Wei." He said. He felt Dian Wei's power build until it was great, then he raised the axe and struck the ground, three cracks spread out from the axe and converged on the attackers, when they reached them they exploded, sending the attackers soaring away.

Cyborg watched them disappear over the far wall of the castle, then Dian Wei's spirit left his body and he turned to it.

"I guess we passed."

"Indeed we did, well done Victor."

"Thanks Dian, I guess we should put the axe back then."

"Why?" Cyborg turned to look at the statue with a faraway look in his eye.

"This axe is part of the statue, part of the legend of this castle, it's the weapon of the great warrior who gave his life to help those in need, the eternal guardian who protects this castle to this very day," he looked at Dian Wei "It's part of your legend." Dian Wei nodded, then his expression became serious.

"But what if we are attacked again?" Cyborg stared at him intently.

"We'll trust in our own strength."

RR please.


	5. The Beautiful Dancer

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the main characters in this fic, they are the property of others.

Author's note: In future chapters, I'm going to change Zeke's name to his real name, Hao.

Also, this chapter took me a really long time to write, it's not as long as the previous one, but it is what I am happy with. R&R please.

Chapter 5 – The Beautiful Dancer

Starfire looked out of the train window at the mountains they were passing, and sighed.

_I wish that my powers would return to me,_ she thought, _and I wish my friends were here with me._ When she thought this an image appeared in her mind, a figure who smiled at her no matter what, who could always cheer her up with just a few words, who explained and didn't make fun when she did not understand, and who protected her from harm with his strong will and determination. At the thought of this she willed away her wistful sadness and became serious.

_I cannot rely on my friends, I must find my spirit so that I can protect them too, and the people of this wonderful planet.  
_She nodded to herself then returned her gaze to the passing scenery.

After departing the train she made her way through the gates before her and into the town itself, once there she purchased some warmer clothes as the mountain air was too frigid for her normal attire. Starfire was thankful that she had travelled for a time before she had joined the Teen Titans as she was well versed in Chinese and needed no translator.

Starfire bought some food and headed out onto the battlements of the great gate to the city, Hu Lao Gate, as it lead to a mountain path where people could wander through the many plains and passes where a great battle to overthrow an evil tyrant took place. She ate her lunch on the gate walls and then headed out.

As she travelled along the mountain path she read the historical texts posted at various points which described in detail the campaign to defeat the treacherous villain, Dong Zhuo, and how the proud leaders of the different provinces joined forces to quell his evil before it could spread. The texts spoke of the righteousness of Lui Bei, leader of the Shu province, the courage of Cao Cao, ruler of Wei, and the Charisma of Sun Jian, lord of Wu. There was mention of the mighty warrior Lu Bu, how he was recruited to the side of Dong Zhuo through promise of great power and wealth, and also how he was felled by the noble captain Guan Yu, sworn brother to Lui Bei. And most fascinating of all, it was written that Dong Zhuo kept within his stronghold at Hu Lao Gate a prisoner, a beautiful maiden who held the key to ruling China, and how she was help captive by the traitorous madman in an attempt to gain that key. It was written that there was no sign of her after the battle, but her name was known to all.

After walking for an over an hour, Starfire decided to find a quiet spot to rest and enjoy the beauty around her. As she neared a bend in the road she began to hear a beautiful sound, a sound that she had not heard since leaving China to continue her travels, it was the sound of the Ma-Tou-Qin, a Chinese violin, and when played properly could produce rapturous melodies, and from the heavenly sounds she was hearing now it was clear that whoever was playing had mastered the instrument. Starfire hurried around the corner to meet this musician, and sitting on a rock across from her was a beautiful woman dressed in elegant robes of flowing silks the colour of roses, as if flower blossoms twirled around her as she moved.

As Starfire approached, the woman looked up at her, smiled serenely at her expression of wonder, and continued playing, lulled by the music, Starfire felt a tremendous desire to dance, and so she began to move her body to the music, eyes closed, she spun and twirled, never missing a beat, feeling her contentment grow as the Ma-Tou-Qin's song progressed, and during the final crescendo she felt such peace as she had not felt for a long time, and she kept her eyes closed after the music finished, revelling in that feeling, until she heard gentle applause. Starfire opened her eyes and saw the woman clapping her hands and smiling, then she spoke.

"You dance very well."

"And your music is wondrous, it has been some time since I last heard it played so beautifully." The woman's expression changed to one of embarrassment, and she looked down.

"Thank you very much, I used to play for the people here." then she became wistful "But I wish that I could dance while I play, I love to dance to music, it is what makes me the happiest of all, but I am seldom able to dance anymore, nobody from my homeland plays this instrument anymore, it is a dying art, I had thought of journeying to other countries to try to find the music, but I did not because I was afraid that I would not be able to find my way home." Upon hearing this a great sorrow came over Starfire, and tears threatened to escaper her eyes.

"A fear I know too well, I am afraid, as I am far from my homeland and presently I have no way of returning. It is possible that I will never…" at this her voice broke and she began to cry. The woman put down her instrument and hurried over with concern on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"My homeland is so far away, and I have lost the means of getting there," Starfire wailed "and not only that, but I have lost my most precious gift in the process." When she heard this, the woman smiled, not mockingly, but kind, motherly, she took Starfire's face in her hands and directed her eyes towards her.

"What is your name?"

"S-Starfire." She sniffed.

"Starfire, let me tell you a story Starfire. A long time ago I was forced from this place, my homeland, as I was on a quest to bring my greatest gift, the Imperial Seal, before the emperor, as only that could quell the warfare waging in this land, after I had done this I was like you, I no longer had my greatest gift, and I had no way to return to my homeland, but after many years and many adventures, here I am, once again content in the place where I can find peace. So you see, young one, that just because all seems lost now, it does not mean that it will end in tragedy, for I am home, and the years I spent away from this place had taught me of the beauty and depth of the world around me, and they had shown me that I could do things that I never could've dreamed of before I left. So do not count this as the end of a journey, see it as the beginning of a much greater adventure, believe in yourself, and you will find your gift again." Starfire stared at her in wonder, marvelling at the compassion and strength this woman showed, and the warmth she was able to bring forth.

_How do they do it?_ She thought, _This woman is like Robin, she seems to be able to read the souls of those around her and comfort them when they need it most, she is a most wonderful person, and I hope that I can consider her a friend_.

"Thank you," Starfire began "for giving me hope again, I…" she broke off as a memory from her past came to her. She regarded the woman quizzically.

"Perhaps I misheard you, but you said that your greatest gift was the Imperial Seal, and that you presented it to the Emperor?" The woman's smile grew broader.

"That's right." Her voice was thick with anticipation.

"But how? The last mention of the Imperial Seal before it came into the possession of the ruler of China was when the keeper of the Seal presented it to him, the keeper's name was……Diao Chan!"

"That is my name."

"But that is not possible, that event took place over 1000 years ago, not long after the battle of Hu Lao Gate, not far from here! For you to be here, you must be…"

"Dead?" Inquired Diao Chan as if it was of little consequence. Starfire gaped at her until Diao Chan began to laugh.

"Yes Starfire, you are right, that event did take place so long ago, and it is true that my body has been laid to rest, but my spirit lives on in this place, after I died I remained here as I had a powerful feeling that I had something left to do, and after meeting you I believe that my purpose was to aid you in your journey to recover your greatest gift." Starfire nodded happily.

"I also believe this to be the case, Diao Chan, and I am thankful to you for your help, and I will try to help you in any way I can, as well." She embraced the older woman. When they parted Diao Chan smiled at Starfire before retrieving her instrument, then looking back at Starfire.

"I need to ask of you a favour before we can begin your quest, young Starfire." Starfire nodded eagerly.

"Please ask it, I wish to help with whatever I can friend." Diao Chan presented her Ma-Tou-Qin to Starfire.

"I swore to myself that I would not leave this place again until I could dance to this music again, so please could you play while I dance?"

"I would be honoured, dear friend." Starfire took the instrument, and began to play. As she played, Diao Chan danced, her body flowing with the rhythm, her footsteps light and perfect, her form graceful and elegant, and it was as joyful for Starfire to behold as it was for Diao Chan to perform. When the song was midway through, Starfire closed her eyes and continued playing, trusting her fingers to find the proper notes while she concentrated on the music, and because her eyes were closed, she did not witness Diao Chan's spirit change into a whirlwind of pink blossoms, and those blossoms swirled around Starfire before entering her heart.

When the song finished and Starfire opened her eyes, she found that she had achieved a most blessed recovery, she was flying again! Diao Chan's spirit spoke to her from inside.

"Well done Starfire, now let us rejoin your friends." Starfire gasped.

"But how did you know about my friends?"

"I have been inside your heart, and I know your quest, and now more than ever I shall aid you in realising your dreams." Starfire closed her eyes.

"Thank you Diao Chan."

And for the first time in 1000 years, the beautiful music of Diao Chan was heard over Hu Lao Gate.


	6. The Infallible Champion

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this fic so far, they are the property of others.

Author's note: Biolightning, as you wanted, here's Robin's chapter now, Raven will be next, and I will finish with Beast Boy, then I'll get into the true story.

p.s. This is actually the second draft of the chapter, I finished the first one, decided it was rubbish, and re-did it.

Chapter 6 – The Infallible Champion

As the last of the day's light faded behind the mountains, a young man watched, sat in a tree on a hilltop overlooking a vast grassland. As the last of the Sun's orb disappeared, he offered a noise of exasperation.

_Why did Silva send us here?_ Robin thought to himself, _There's nothing to be found here but a history of war and destruction, who would want guardian ghosts that were murderers and warmongers? There's nothing honourable about killing._

_But I suppose I can't think about this forever, I need to find some shelter for the night unless I wanna freeze to death._ Settled on a course of action, Robin began to descend from the tree, climbing slowly, branch by branch, getting more annoyed as he went, he jumped down the last few feet, only to pitch forward and fall flat on his face.

"Aaargh!" he yelled as he pushed himself up off the ground and aimed a kick at the tree, when it connected pain shot up his leg, but he ignored it.

"I can't believe this has happened!" He snarled to himself, "Before I could've hopped off the top branch and been fine, now some 1000-year-old psycho comes along and I fall on my butt when I jump from the lowest branch! I can't believe this has happened!"

Robin stomped away from the tree until he was at the top of the hill, he looked around, and saw what looked to be a wall, It looked large enough, and should keep the wind out, so Robin decided to head there, but just as he was about to move, the wind, as if to spite him, picked up and unbalanced him enough to send him rolling down the hill to land flat out on the grass below. For a few moments Robin just lay there, eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the grass tickling his cheeks.

"Hill tumbling, haven't done that in a long time." He murmured, with a slight smile. Still holding that half-smile he got up from the ground, brushed himself off and carried on to his destination.

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As he neared the wall Robin realised he'd seriously misjudged the scale, it was huge! It was at least 20 meters high and hundreds of meters long. Robin looked along the wall to the right, saw it stretching far enough to have him walking for a few more hours, and decided against it, he looked back the other way and could just make out the end of the wall in the light of the rising moon.

_It doesn't look too bad that way, only about an hour. It should be good exercise. _He thought, as though he was far from where he wanted to be in terms of physique he had at least worked himself up to an above average level of fitness. _Though my co-ordination still needs some work._ He thought absently to himself as the memory of his slip-up at the tree surfaced in his mind.

Within an hour he reached the end of the wall and was surprised by what he saw. The wall had a twin running parallel to it, about 20 meters away, forming a long, narrow trench. Robin's battle training took over as he assessed the possibilities.

_Any force coming along here would have to run a gauntlet of snipers and blockades before getting to the command centre, which I'm guessing is at the other end, waaay down there. Whoever built this thing knew what they were doing, this place is a deathtrap for unwanted guests._ He glanced back at the flat grasslands outside,_ and the Wu Zhang Plains aren't exactly full of sneak attack possibilities._ _ Well, this should do me for tonight anyway, so I'll just find a spot to camp for the night._

Robin knew that while a structure like this would stay mostly intact for a long time, there would be some damage, and he hoped that damage would find him at bit of shelter from rain. It didn't take him long to find a hole where the stone had collapsed and later been removed which was perfect for the job. Squeezing himself in as far as possible, Robin settled down to sleep.

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Robin woke silently, wondering what has disturbed him. He lay still for a moment, and just before he was about to settle back to sleep, he heard rustling in the grass, he concentrated and made out shadowy figures converging on the hole, one of them raised a throwing knive. Robin exploded out of the hole, narrowly evading the knife, he darted between two of the attackers and ran, he knew he was no match for them in his current state. As he ran they gave chase. Robin could hear them, so close behind him, and he was getting tired, the long day yesterday and lack of sleep sapping his energy. He felt hot breath on the back of his neck and dropped, just in time to avoid being beheaded by the soldier's swinging sword. He kicked the soldier away and ran on, but he didn't get far, his energy was gone and he couldn't breathe, he dropped, exhausted, all the while willing himself to get up, to fight on, to not give up, but his body just wouldn't obey him, he wasn't Robin, the great leader of the Teen Titans right now, he was just Richard Grayson, an ordinary teenager, and Richard Grayson couldn't get out of this, because he wasn't as strong as Robin. He heard them surround him, and readied himself for the end, he glared defiantly at what seemed to be the leader, never blinking, always making sure the man saw that he wasn't afraid of what would happen.

The man sneered, and raised his weapon, but before he could bring it down, the night time sky began to glow, to Robin it was a wonderfully familiar green, and his eyes danced with joy as it began to rain. It didn't rain water, it rained starbolts, striking the ground and soldiers around Robin, but never hitting Robin himself. Those soldiers who didn't go down with smoking burns and huge gashes fled in terror as the emerald death flew down from above, at this point, because of his continued existence, Robin was understandably happy, but he became ecstatic when he heard her voice.

"ROBIN!" Starfire cried as she raced down from the air to trap him in a bone crushing hug. Robin was overwhelmed by these in his normal state, but even in his weakened state, it felt like a gentle embrace to him, and he hugged Starfire with all the strength he could muster. They held that pose for a moment longer until Starfire withdrew and looked at him with a smile on her face.

"Star, how did you find me?"

"I was flying overhead and I heard the sounds, so I flew down to investigate and…" She stopped as Robin interrupted.

"You're flying again, Star that's great, so you found your Guardian Ghost then?" He asked. Starfire smiled broadly as she answered.

"Yes Robin, I found my spirit, and she has agreed to help me, help all of us, in our quest. Here she is." A woman materialised beside Starfire and looked kindly down at Robin as she spoke.

"I am Diao Chan, and I am very glad to meet you Robin, but I don't believe this is the best time to go into details," she indicated the battlefield, and a large group of soldiers that were charging at them, "Because I believe we have more pressing matters to attend with." With that she disappeared, and Starfire turned towards the army, her eyes and hands glowing bright green. She was about to fire the first starbolt when a cracking noise was heard, and a fissure spread from behind them into the advancing horde, when it reached the centre of the group explosions leapt from the ground, scattering the soldiers like leaves in the wind. Confused, Robin and Starfire looked behind them and saw a young man on one knee with an ace imbedded in the ground, he looked up at them with a smirk.

"Booyah."

"CYBORG!" The cried together as they ran up to him. As Robin neared him he saw another figure hovering above Cyborg, Cyborg noticed him looking and explained.

"Guys, meet Dian Wei, as you've probably guessed he's my Guardian Ghost, but as Star's lady said, we ain't got time to chat right now, we've got a fight to win. Robin, you can't do this without your spirit, get out of here, me an' Star'll cover you."

"No, I won't leave you!" Robin yelled, distraught.

"Please Robin, you must not endanger yourself."

"Star I won't let you guys fight alone." He was about to say more but Cyborg cut him off.

"Too late to argue, get out of here!" Cyborg grabbed Robin and threw him behind him just before the soldiers arrived, Starfire and Cyborg clashed weapons with the ones at the front, blocking any others from advancing. Robin watched helplessly as his two friends struggled against their attackers, he knew that they couldn't keep this up, there were too many, they couldn't win, but he also knew that his team mates wouldn't move until he was safe, but he saw that there was no way out of here, they were backed up against a wall and he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.

"Aargh!" Robin snapped out of his despair as a rock caught Starfire in her shoulder, knocking her from the air to crash beside him.

"Uugh!" Cyborg flew backwards as a burly soldier caught him in the stomach with a club.

With his two friends injured besides him Robin watched as the mob closed in.

_NO!_ He thought, _ I won't let them throw their lives away for me, I won't let them die trying to protect me!_ He rushed forward and threw his arms out wide, blocking the soldiers from attacking his friends. He glared at the soldiers.

"Leave my friends alone! I won't let you hurt them." He growled.

One soldier ran ahead of the others and swung his staff to knock Robin down, but before it connected a figure darted out from the midst of the soldiers and knocked the attacker down. As the soldier struggled back up the figure glared at him, and the rest of the soldiers.

"What are you all doing, is this honourable? Overwhelming three foes with hundreds, this is not combat, this is senseless thuggery, you are not warriors, you are cowards all!" He yelled. Several of the soldiers looked distraught and hung their heads in shame, others began to withdraw, until the one who the man had struck spoke up.

"Who cares how many there are? Three or three thousand, they are the same in death. You should know this Zhao Yun." He snarled.

"They are not the same in death you fool, because a death at your hands would be dishonourable, just like you, coward." Stated Zhao Yun.

The soldier who Zhao yun had debased darted forward, staff whipping out to strike Zhao Yun across the face, Zhao Yun reacted to late to stop it, but it was intercepted as Robin placed himself between the two and took the blow, the impact knocking him to the ground. Zhao Yun struck his attacker so hard to fell unconscious, then knelt by Robin's side. He looked at Robin quizzically.

"Why did you help me? I am a stranger to you." Robin sat up and smiled at him , wincing at the pain in his cheek from the blow.

"Because you helped me before, and I couldn't let him hurt you, because you are honourable and he isn't." Zhao Yun smiled.

"I knew I made the right decision to help you and you friends, now I shall fight by your side to protect them." Zhao Yun uttered solemnly. Robin considered that, then spoke up.

"Well you could fight by my side, or you could fight with me."

"What do you mean?" Zhao Yun replied in bewilderment.

"Let me show you," Robin raised his hand, "SPIRIT FORM!" Zhao Yun's form began to change. The man looked around worriedly.

"What's happening to me?"

"Just trust me." Replied Robin. Zhao Yun calmed and faced him.

"Alright." Zhao Yun's body changed into a a ball of light, Robin brought it to his chest and pushed it into his heart. Robin's body convulsed and he dropped to one knee, Starfire and Cyborg had recovered by now and ran over to him.

"Robin, you okay?"

"Please, speak to us."

Robin got up onto his feet with his head bowed, and when he raised his eyes to look at his friend's concerned faces, he finally felt right again.

"I feel great you guys, now how's about we deal with these losers?" Cyborg and Starfire smiled. Robin picked up the staff from the guy Zhao Yun had knocked out, then together they faced the army. Robin smirked at them.

"You guys don't stand a chance, TEEN TITANS, GO!" He yelled, and rushed forward, striking left and right, hitting a face, a stomach, a neck, each time he struck an opponent went down, he was everywhere when he struck, and nowhere when they tried to hit him, many soldiers fled when their partners went down. Starfire was in the air, firing starbolts, shooting eye lasers, and when opponents got too close simply using her super-strength to pick them up and throw them into their comrades. Cyborg struck the ground with his axe again and again, collapsing enemies into pits, blowing others into air with explosions, and wading in with fists of fury when the enemy numbers whittled. As the last dozen or so soldiers regrouped, Robin jumped back and yelled

"Star, Cy, now!" Cyborg and Starfire joined their assault, Cyborg sent a giant explosion along the ground while Starfire charged up a huge laserbeam and fired at the same time, the two attacks joined together and engulfed the soldiers in energy, when the smoke cleared, there was no one there except the three Titans. Robin, his chest heaving, turned to the others.

"Great job guys." He said, before falling over from exhaustion, the others soon joined him in lying face up on the grass.

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Later, when they were patching each other up, Cyborg addressed Robin.

"Yo, how did you know that Zhao Yun was a ghost," he looked up at the figure conversing with Dian Wei and Diao Chan, "I mean, he seemed pretty real to me, same as Dian Wei did until after the battle." Robin nodded.

"I know. The truth is I only knew because you two came along, I saw your Guardian Ghostsand I recognised Zhao Yun's name as being related their history, and since that was a while back I figured he wasn't really alive. Mind you, if you two hadn't of been there I'd have just figured him for a real guy," he looked down in thought, then quietly spoke

"If you two hadn't of shown up, I'd probably be dead."

Starfire gathered him into a hug, a gentle one this time, then directed his gaze to her determined face.

"Do not dwell on the matter now Robin, it is done, we are victorious and you have your Guardian spirit, there is nothing more to be done." Robin smiled at her, then should his head.

"There is something we still have to do Starfire, we still aren't all here,"

"We still have to find our friends."

Author's note: Good-o, finally done, it took me a while, I can't write something unless I find the spark I need, it took me a while to find it, but when I did the words just poured from me, to create this chapter, hopefully you all think it's good, and I'll try to get the next one up fairly soon. If it takes a while it may be that I've put it on hold as I've got exams coming up later this month. I think I'm gonna try to restart my Evangelion story too, as I've not worked on it for almost a year, I've recently read through it myself, and it may sound big-headed but I think it's too good to just give up on, I will carry on with it at some point, hopefully soon. If any of the readers for this story are interested in Evangelion then check it out if you want to.

R & R please.


	7. Forgotten Saviour, Master of Nature

Disclaimer: Same old words, (also, I don't own The Man In The Iron Mask) if you really wanna see it, look at the previous chapters.

Author's note: I am going to continue with this story, even though I'm making it up as I go along with no real overall plot. I'm going to Refer to Raven as Raven Roth, she actually doesn't have a last name, but her mother was Arella Roth, formerly Angela Roth, Raven never actually took the last name in the comics but it's what I'm gonna use for this story.

I haven't decided whether to feature Tara Markov (Terra in case you didn't know) in this story or not, if you want or don't want her, put it in your reviews.

Chapter 7 – The Forgotten Saviour and the Master of Nature

Soft laughter ran through the trees.

To Garfield Logan, it was pure, almost angelic, and in his opinion, the same could be said about the person laughing.

Raven Roth walked beside him, still laughing, while her eyes danced with joy at being able to laugh, to smile, to express herself so freely.

Gar reluctantly took his eyes from the wonderful girl beside him and glanced around the forest, contemplating his current situation, which was responsible for him being here, in this amazing Chinese forest, and it was also responsible for another wonderful part of his life, the part he had tried to attain for so long, the ability to make the girl beside him happy, as she had been so long in the blackness of her heritage. Born to a demon father, Raven had been unable to feel emotion without endangering others, Garfield had watched helplessly as this had eaten at her, day after day, until he began to fear for her safety, not just from the evil inside her, but from herself, in case she tried to end the pain. But now, thanks in part to Hao, an ancient shaman from the past, Raven was at last (temporarily) free from her affliction, and Garfield Logan was damn sure going to make sure that she enjoyed every minute of it.

_Who knows?_ Thought Gar, _If what Silva said is true, even after Raven gets her powers back, if all goes well she should be able to switch them off, so maybe she won't have to go back to spending her whole life in the dark, maybe, just maybe, I can keep her in the light. I've seen her mind, nobody should have to live like that. _

_Don't worry Raven, I won't let that happen again._

Garfield was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the subject of him had been staring quizzically at him for a while.

"It's not like you to be so quiet Garfield," Raven said, startling him out of his reverie, "Is something wrong?"

"No, no nothing wrong, definitely nothing wrong!" he responded quickly, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. Raven watched him out of the corner of her eye for a few moments until he seemed to relax, then she too, began to think about her companion,

_Why did you come with me Beast Boy? Why didn't you go with the others, or do as they did and set out on your own, why did you stay with me, don't you know that that's dangerous, don't you know what could happen to you if I get my powers back?_

With that thought a great wave of sadness and cold hit Raven and she began to shake, she wrapped her arms around herself and crouched, head bowed. Garfield noticed this and turned to her, worry in his eyes.

"Raven? Raven, what's wrong?" he watched as a single tear emerged from beneath the curtain of her hair and fell towards the earth. He stared at the spot where the tear landed until Raven spoke, her voice broken and quivering.

"I've, I've been alone for so long, and now I'm not, but every second I'm terrified that I'm gonna wake up and I'll be back like I was, that I'll be like I always was and….and I can't escape it, that I'm gonna spend my whole life by myself because it's the only way I can keep everyone safe. I, I couldn't stand it if that happened, to think that I've been free only to find out it's a lie, I couldn't take it, I just couldn't!" She was openly weeping now, water flowing freely down her face. Garfield gathered her into his arms and she wrapped arms around him as well, holding onto him tightly as if to remind herself that this was real, that it would still be there when she woke up, not just a glimpse of heaven seen from hell.

They two stayed that way for a long time before Raven spoke up.

"Beast Boy?"

"Yeah Rae?" She smiled at the nickname, it was this that she held onto, the familiarity he had with her, it spoke of the depth of their relationship, the others all called her "Raven" and kept an invisible wall between themselves and her, as if they were afraid of getting hurt, but not him, he pushed past that barrier and gave her something she wanted desperately, true friendship. She looked up to see transcendent jade-green eyes staring back at her, shining in the moonlight, accompanied with a gentle smile which she returned.

"Thank you for staying with me Beast Boy, I've been on my own for so long," She looked away sadly, and her next words emerged as little more than a whimper, almost like a frightened child. "I don't wanna be alone anymore." Upon hearing this Gar gave her a reassuring squeeze and kissed her forehead softly.

"Don't worry Rae, I'm here for as long as you need me, your very own security blanket," he paused, ran a sentence over in his head, then went for it "although…you may have to wash me occasionally."

Raven gave a small chuckle at this which evolved into a yawn. Her eyes were already closed, so Garfield gently lay her down and pulled her cloak around her, then settled down beside her, her hand still grasping his.

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Two figures, one male one female, watched the two teens from a nearby tree. The male figure watched as one of the teens got up slowly, looked at his still sleeping companion then silently walked off. The male kept his eyes on the boy as he addressed the female,

"Looks like the boy's gonna be alone, should I do it now, or wait?" He waited a few seconds before the female spoke up.

"Go now, after that little conversation they had earlier it looks like when he gets back he's not gonna let her out of his sight for a while." The male nodded then set off, hopping from branch to branch without a sound, trailing the boy. The female watched until he was out of sight, then turned back to the sleeping girl.

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Beast Boy sat on a fallen tree next to stream, about half a kilometer from where he had left Raven, thinking,

_I hope Raven's okay, she's always seemed like the strongest of us all, but this whole thing hit her harder than any of us., It's like that movie, The Man In The Iron Mask, where the guy's lived for so long in the mask that everything seems wonderful to him, but he's really sensitive and fragile because of it and he's terrified of being trapped again._

"I won't let that happen again, I'll be like that other guy, um…. Dartagnan, yeah that was it, if I need to I'll give my life to stop it." He remained silent for a few moments, staring at the water, until a voice spoke up.

"She'll be fine, you know." Startled, Gar looked up and saw a man standing on the other side of the stream, he was dressed in loose, flowing clothes that seemed almost tribal, and there was a falcon perched on his outstretched arm.

Garfield shot up from his seat and faced the man.

"Who are you?"

"I am someone who has a connection to nature, as you seem to have as well."

"How do you know that?"

"Look at your shoulder." Garfield turned his head and there, on his shoulder, was a humming bird, he looked down and noticed a snake curling it's way around his legs. He looked back up at the man, who was smiling broadly, then he spoke.

"These are wild animals, why don't they…"

"Run away? Attack? Simple, because they aren't afraid of you. Any outsider to the natural world is met with utmost resistance, or avoided entirely, but those with a special connection to nature, like you and I, can pass unmolested through any natural environment, be it mountain, forest or ocean. The animals can sense this connection, they won't harm you."

Gar smiled proudly for a moment, then gasped as a terrible thought came to him.

"Hey you! What about…"

"Your friend? She'll be fine, I've asked the animals not to hurt her, so she should be perfectly safe while you're in this forest, outside of here isn't really my territory though, so you're on your own after that. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Word has reached me that five strangers have entered the land and because of this some of my most trusted friends haven't been heard of for some time, and I want to know why.

I'm guessing that you and your friend are two of the five, correct?"

"I guess so." Replied Garfield cautiously.

"Good, as I said, I want to find out what happened to my friends, and if I went along with you chances are that I'll find out what happened, also, if I go with you, I'll be able to get help you get your friends through any environment, not just my forest."

Beast Boy looked at him suspiciously.

"That all sounds good, but what's the catch?" The man sighed.

"As I said, this is MY forest, I can't leave, I'm bound to it. The only way I can leave is if someone defeats me in a challenge of my choice." The man looked around, then back at Beast Boy.

"So how about it, you up for it?" He asked. Garfield thought about it for a sec, then nodded.

"Alright, but first tell me one thing?"

"What's that?"

"Dude, what's your name?" He blurted. The man laughed.

"Is that all? My name's Ma Chao." Beast Boy grinned back.

"Sweet, my name's Gar Logan, but some people call me Beast Boy."

"Well then Beast Boy, let's get started on the challenge. All you have to do is save your friend."

"WHAT? I thought you said you wouldn't harm her." Ma Chao shook his head sadly.

"No, what I said was that the animals wouldn't harm her, not me. Look, for what it's worth I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be, the loser has to give up something valuable to them, I give up my forest, you give up your friend. It's the law of the challenge, I didn't make it, I only follow it."

"I won't do it! I can't gamble with her life, I don't have the right!" Yelled Beast Boy, but again Ma Chao shook his head.

"I'm afraid you've already agreed to the challenge, you're committed, which unfortunately means so is she. So we might as well start. You have to ways to save her in the challenge, either you reach her before I do, or we fight it out here and the survivor wins."

"I think I'll go with the race."

"Good choice, now here's the interesting part, for the challenge you choose 3 forest animals, and as long as the challenge lasts you get the abilities of those animals."

"Which abilities?"

"That's part of the challenge, choosing the right 3 animals. I suppose I'll go first, I pick…… bear, stag and boar, they're all powerful animals. Now it's your turn."

"Okay, gimme a sec, I pick…... owl, snake and squirrel."

"Why those three?"

"Hopefully, because they'll be the right choices."

"Alright, but if you win you have to tell me why you really picked them. By the way, once the race starts it's anything goes."

"Fair enough, so when do we start?"

Ma Chao grinned. "We already have." And then, with a very bear-like roar, he charged into the forest. Beast Boy chased after him.

_Raven, I'll save you, I promise._

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The female figure decided that enough time had passed for her to talk to the girl without interruption, so she nimbly and soundlessly jumped down from branch to branch until she landed next to the sleeping girl.

"I think I'll be bit more quiet than Ma Chao will be, I'll just go into her dreams and talk to her there." The woman knelt down next to the girl and gently laid her fingers onto her forehead, then the woman closed her eyes and concentrated.

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Raven's eyes opened. She couldn't see anyone, there was only mist.

She sat up quickly, looking around for…

"Beast Boy?" She called quietly,

"BEAST BOY! WHERE ARE YOU?" She yelled, panicking.

She looked around for a few moments more before bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, tears began to form in her eyes.

"He's gone, he forgot about me, just like all the others." She sobbed. Suddenly a voice called out from beyond the mist.

"Forgot about you? He hasn't forgotten about you. Just the opposite, in fact, at this very moment he's trying to save you. I hope he does, because if he saves you then he'll save me too, since I'm currently connected to you, so we both need saving."

Raven gritted her teeth, "Speak for yourself."

"I'm trying to speak for Beast Boy." Raven gasped.

"He thinks I need saving?"

"Oh don't sound so hurt, he doesn't think you're weak, it's just that at this moment there's an unstoppable killing machine heading your way and Beast Boy's trying to get to you first, so no, he doesn't think you need saving, but he does think he needs to save you." The voice replied.

"Oh. I guess that's okay……hey wait a minute, who are you?"

"About time you asked." The mist parted and Raven saw that she was sitting on a beach, the forest was nowhere to be seen, all that was on the beach were her and a wrecked ship boat.

"Up here." Came the voice. Raven looked up the mast and saw a woman sitting on the edge of the crow's nest. As she watched, the woman vaulted off the crow's nest, grabbed a rope and swung down onto the deck, she then jumped down and started walking towards Raven. As she got close she looked around.

"Like it?"

"What is this place?"

"This? This is a memory I'm sharing with you, one I've relived a thousand times in my mind."

"I'm……dreaming?" Raven asked, confused.

"In the sense that you're asleep and seeing images in your head then yes, you're dreaming. I prefer to think of it as having a vision."

"Why are you showing this to me?"

"Because it's important to me, and I thought you'd understand."

"Understand what?"

"What it's like to be forgotten."

"You just said Beast Boy didn't forget about me!"

"I'm not talking about Beast Boy, I'm talking about everyone else." Raven concentrated on her memories and realised that what this woman was speaking was the truth.

"You're right, they did forget me, they all did, even my team mates, I never felt like their friend, I felt more like a guest in their lives, they treated me like a casual acquaintance, one that they wouldn't remember after I was gone."

"Because you were different, and they didn't understand."

"Yes."

"No." replied the woman.

"What do you mean no? You said that they forgot about me like they forgot about you."

"They didn't forget about me."

"What do you mean?" The woman sighed and pointed to the derelict ship.

"You see that boat, it was my brother's, he was the leader of our army and I loved him more than life itself. He died at the battle where that took place here, where are army was defeated once and for all. They were killed almost to the last man, I survived because……I wasn't there. My brother sent me away before the battle to deal with some small tribes of bandits, and by the time I was finished it was over, I found the ships destroyed and our men killed, I found my brother's body and I buried it."

The woman looked away and Raven saw tears glistening in her eyes, she wiped away the tears before continuing,

"All that time I thought I was just a forgotten warrior, forced to do low down jobs because everyone else wanted the glory, but it was only after I arrived at the battle that I knew the truth, my brother knew he wouldn't survive the battle and so he sent me away, so that I wouldn't die like him." She looked away again, "All that time, all that time I thought they never cared about me, that they just wanted me out of their way, but the whole time it was just a big brother looking out for his little sister. After that I realised that was what they all wanted, not just my big brother, every one of the so-called "heros" knew they would die someday and they all made sure that I didn't. Do you know the sacrifices they must have made, all the injuries they took because I wasn't there to help them, they paid for my life with their blood and sweat and bone, and how did I repay them? I scorned them! I hated them for leaving me out, I just wanted to be the same as them, to be loved as they were, and the whole time they loved me. And so they died while I lived, and it wasn't until I lost my brother that I accepted why. That I was loved, that I was the same as them, that they were the same as me, that we may have our differences, but we were all the same." She turned to Raven.

"Are you going to do what I did? Are you going to wait until there's nobody left to realise this? Or are you going to find your friends and accept them as they have accepted you?"

Raven sat silently for a moment, stunned. When she spoke, her voice was filled with uncertainty.

"I, I, you're right, you're absolutely right, I have been shutting them out, but I have to, it's dangerous for them to get close to me, look at Beast Boy, he's fighting for his life for a chance to save me."

"Yes, he is, and he doesn't care about what happens to himself as long as you're okay, he's always been in danger by getting close to you, but he's never been afraid, because he knew that it would be worth it in the end. Just let your other friends in too, and I promise you'll be happier than you've ever been. I should know, I let Ma Chao in."

"Ma Chao?"

"The unstoppable killing machine."

"And you're friends with him?"

"Hey, he hasn't always been this way, it's only for today, for the challenge where we see if you two are the ones we've been waiting for."

"You mean that if Beast Boy reaches my body first we'll be the ones, and if Ma Chao reaches me first we'll both be…"

"Dead. The bad part is that if your body stays where it is, Ma Chao will reach it first, but I can help you and Beast Boy to win," the woman held out her hand, "I can help you if you let me in." She smiled serenely at Raven.

"What's your name?" asked Raven. The woman's smile grew broader.

"I'm Sun Shang Xiang." Raven smiled back.

"Well I'm Raven. So Sun Shang Xiang," she took the offered hand, "…help me."

And the world exploded into noise.

Raven got up from the forest floor quickly as she listened to the crashing coming closer. She felt like she could leap up to the top of the tallest tree with only a bound, Raven was sure that she could take on whatever was coming by herself.

_You can't,_ said a voice from inside her. Raven turned her mind inward and was shocked to see her.

"_Sun Shang Xiang, but how?_"

_I believe this is called "Spirit Unity"._

"_So you're my Guardian Ghost?_"

_Looks like it, now can we get out of here, I don't want to die again._

"_What should I do?_"

_Get higher, Ma Chao chose strong animals but they can't track too well, so you're best choice is to get higher and wait for Beast Boy to find you_.

"Higher it is then, let's go." And with the Raven started leaping from branch to branch, going higher each time, she had just reached the top of the tree when there was a crash from below as Ma Chao entered the clearing, he was crouched low to the ground, making snuffling noises as he searched for his target.

Raven risked a glance down then looked up into the sky.

"Please hurry Beast Boy." She pleaded.

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Beast Boy could see Ma Chao in front of him as the man crashed through the forest, sometimes going straight through trees in the process.

_And I thought it would be easy to get ahead of him with the animals I chose._

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, Ma Chao went for power, Gar went for speed and tracking ability, the agility of the squirrel, the speed and infra-red vision of the snake, and the night eyes of the owl, all added up to him being seconds behind Ma Chao the entire way, and now he spotted the clearing where he'd left Raven ahead, and he knew he wasn't going to get there ahead of Ma Chao.

_Raven, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry._

Ma Chao reached the clearing and…

Stopped.

Beast Boy could only look on as the man looked around in confusion, then bent down and began to sniff around, searching for a scent of his victim. Beast Boy's heart soared.

_Raven must have heard him coming and hidden, I've still got a chance, I've gotta find her._

Using his animal powers, Beast Boy scrambled to the top of the tree he was in and looked around with his snake and owl vision. He spotted a heat source in a tree just as Ma Chao roared below, he looked down to see Ma Chao crash into the tree carrying Raven and send it toppling down.

"RAVEN," He screamed, "JUMP!"

Raven's head snapped around towards the source of his voice and he could see the relief in her eyes, she dove out of the tree towards him as he took a flying leap with his squirrel agility.

Beast Boy caught her in mid-air and she held on as tight as she could while the bounced from tree to tree, trying to shed enough momentum to land without breaking any bones.

Garfield saw that they weren't gonna break any bones when they landed but it would still hurt like hell, so he cradled Raven and rotated in mid-air so that he would hit the ground beneath her, but before they hit the ground a green light surged up from the ground and plunged into Beast Boy, and he felt a great rush of power and speed, he hit the ground rolling, shedding the leftover momentum in sideways movement rather than downwards.

They didn't stop rolling until Gar's head collided with a tree trunk, which hurt like hell.

Garfield decided to acknowledge the pain.

"OW! That hurt like hell dude!" Raven, who was still cradled in Beast Boy's arms, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you Beast Boy," She said softly as they held each other, "for staying with me." Beast Boy smiled as he recalled their earlier conversation.

"Don't worry Rae, I'm here for as long as you need me, your very own security blanket," he rubbed his head, "and apparently impact cushion too."

Raven froze for a moment, and Beast Boy looked at her, making sure she was okay. He was about to say something when he noticed her shoulders were shaking and she was sniggering, which soon turned into full blown laughter, which he joined in with, and the two of them stayed that way until their laughter subsided and they fell asleep again.

R&R please.


	8. Burning Pride and Tentative Fortune

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Chapter 8 – Burning Pride and Tentative Fortune

A small fishing boat floated down a river in a peaceful China glade, farmers on the shore went about their business content in the quiet atmosphere, but alas, it wasn't to last.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" A young man in the boat shouted.

"WHY SHOULD I?" Shot back his companion, a girl about his age.

"BECAUSE YOU WON'T STOP TALKING!"

"At least I'm trying to be sociable, unlike you. What's your damage anyway?"

"What do you think! You dragged me onto this damn boat and guess what, I DON'T LIKE WATER!" When the young man said this his companion grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

"I know that, this is what you get for being rude to me in that last town, we could've taken a bus, but I thought I'd make you suffer a bit." The young man glared at her.

"Oh great, as if you haven't been bad enough already, lording it over me that you've already achieved Spirit Control and I haven't!" The girl's face changed in mock-surprise.

"Oh my you're right, I had completely forgotten about that," Her grin returned, "but while we're on the subject…" The girl launched into a very long and self-appreciative rant, talking to herself as much as to him, which could all be summed up in the words "I'm better than you." The boy groaned and hoped that the boat ride wouldn't be too long.

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The two travellers found shelter for the night in a boat house about 20 miles downriver. Despite their arguments, they always slept in physical contact with one another, since stun weapons don't seem to work as well if the effect is split between two people, they slept against a wall as much as they could as well, as nets are much easier to get out of if you're not lying on the ground when you get caught in them.

There were many different people after them, not least of all the HIVE, ever since Hao has shown up at the academy, wiping out half the students and enslaving most of the survivors, the HIVE officials had been seeking out anyone with superpowers to try to rebuild their ranks, anyone who came, they welcomed, anyone who didn't come at first, they persuaded, anyone who didn't come at all, they captured. The two travellers fit into the third category, they were only interested in finding the Titans, and didn't care about much else, not even their old lives, everything they knew had been turned upside down by Hao. This wasn't a problem for the boy, he was mostly on his own anyway before Hao found him, Hao had tried the same trick he'd pulled with the Titans on the young man, but luckily he'd already been visited by a Shaman council member and brought up to speed, and didn't completely lose his ghost, he just got bumped down from Spirit Control to Spirit Unity, and he hadn't yet found a way to regain his original powers.

The girl was another story, she'd had friends, but the last time she'd seen them was when Hao showed up, she hoped they we're alright, but she had no interest in joining the HIVE, she just wanted to find the Titans as she saw them as her best bet of getting her friends back, if they were still alive…

The two had met when the girl had been close to being caught by the HIVE, the boy showed up out of nowhere and helped her escape, the first of many times, and she'd rescued him just as often, they didn't act like it, but they really thought a lot of each other, and they both agreed that they wouldn't have gotten as far as they had without each other. Of course it was an unspoken agreement, both had too much pride to admit it out loud, but still they carried on, close friends in all but behaviour.

(Section divider – don't delete.)

The pair had spent the last few weeks backtracking each and every link they found to the Titans, playing "Have you seen…" with doddering old fools, superstitious priests and sarcastic police officers, the current rumour they were working with was that a tall dark-skinned young man had been seen a few towns over in some rice fields, complaining about being without something called the "T-car". The young man was quickly recognised as Cyborg, and they were off, they had been heading for the fields where he'd been seen for 3 days, and they were both getting irritable.

"Figures we'd get lost, all because you're too cheap to buy a map." The boy muttered.

"I'm not paying that much for a lousy piece of paper, did you see how much they were charging?" The girl shot back. The boy rounded on her.

"Of course I did! But I think it'd be worth it seeing as we have no idea where we are, or how to get to where we want to go!" The girl's face turned angry and the boy prepared himself for another or their frequent shouting matches, but then he saw the tears in the girl's eyes and guilt welled up inside him, he was about to apologise but the girl started talking again.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you, I guess I'm just missing my friends. Whenever we travelled one of my friends always brought a map, he made us swear not to ever buy a map when we were travelling because it wasn't needed, so I guess that it was just reflex not to buy the thing, out of respect for my friend." The girl looked away before continuing.

"But whenever I think about it, it tears me up inside not knowing what happened to them, not knowing whether they're all right or not, and then I think about what would happen to me if you weren't here, because even though I've got Spirit Control back I'm still nowhere near as strong as I was, and I know that I'd have been dragged to the HIVE by now if it wasn't for you. And then all the fear and anger mixes up inside of me and it… it gets a little overwhelming you know?" The boy pulled her hood down and looked into her eyes, and he smiled gently.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, I owe you remember, you've saved me too many times in these last few weeks, and I always pay my debts, besides, even if I didn't owe you anything, I'd still hang around with you because you're a good person at heart, and you just proved it. Took you long enough though," she thumped him in the arm playfully, "Ow. Anyway, like I said, I'm not going anywhere, and do you know why?" He was only a few inches from her face, looking directly into her eyes, she shook her head uncertainly. His gently smile became lopsided.

"Because you're the one with the food." He said with a playful grin. She grinned too, but hers was more of the kind you see on a shark just before it bites you in half.

"Just for that, you don't get any, it's all mine now." She said seriously. His face fell as she walked away, taking a bite of a sandwich. He chased after her.

"Hey, you're kidding about the food right? Right?" She looked back over her shoulder at him without stopping.

"Nope." She took another bite of her sandwich, making exaggerated noises of pleasure, his mouth began to water, and he dived for the food bag. She sidestepped at the last second and he landed empty-handed. She giggled and quickly gave him a quick peck on the cheek, he froze, blushing, and she placed a sandwich in his hand before grabbing his other hand and dragging him along.

(Section divider – don't delete)

"Right, now here's a shop, what do we do if we see a map?" the boy asked, the girl mock glared at him before raising her hand and hopping up and down like an excited child.

"Ooh, ooh, pick me, pick me, I know."

"Yes you, the smart-alec in the front."

"We BUY it." The girl said with exaggerated slowness, then she beamed like she'd just answered the million dollar question. Her expression became sad at the thought of breaking her promise to her friend, the boy saw this and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Her smile returned, genuine this time and she drew herself up into a stiff, soldier like posture.

"Yes sir, I shall now carry out my mission of getting a map." She saluted.

"Very funny, now take a look around inside and I'll keep watch out here, okay." Their expressions became serious as they were reminded of their ongoing pursuit. The girl headed inside and the boy leaned against the wall outside, scanning the crowd from the shadows of his hood. A few minutes later his companion came out of the shop brandishing a map and some lollypops.

"Hey, I got a map, and I didn't even have to pay for it either." She announced smugly.

"That's nice." The boy replied distractedly before walking off, the girl fell into step beside him.

"What's wrong, by now you'd have usually given me a lecture on why stealing is wrong and made me take it ba-" But she was cut off by the boy.

"They've found us." Instantly the girl stopped talking and her eyes darted left and right under her hood as the boy carried on.

"Behind us, three men, packing what looks like stun guns and tranq darts. They've got HIVE communicators, if we can get some distance we can use Spirit Form, but not now, there're too many people around." The girl nodded as they took each other's hand. Inspiration struck and the girl whispered to the boy.

"I saw a courtyard close to here, I think it was a school, today's a holiday so it should be empty, even if we can't get into the building it'd make a good place to fight." The boy nodded.

"How do we get there?"

"Unfortunately we just passed the main street leading to it, so I guess we'll have to use alleys and double back."

"Right, there's an alley about 5 meters away, we'll start there, as soon as we get out of sight of those men they'll come after us full speed so be ready to run." As the alley approached their grip on each other's hand tightened. They turned into the alley…

_NOW!_ They thought together, and ran, behind them they could hear the men giving chase, but by the time the men hand entered the alley the pair had already turned the corner, they tried to duck into a side alley but they were spotted and they had to run, this continued until finally…

"Look!" hissed the girl, "There's the courtyard, let's go."

They put on an extra burst of speed and arrived at the courtyard with a few seconds before the HIVE soldiers arrived, they ran to the school doors and flung them open, they started forward.

And stopped in their tracks.

"No." The boy murmured, his face paling as they began to back up.

More HIVE soldiers walked out of the school, stun guns at the ready.

"You will come with us." Stated the leader of the original three soldiers as the new arrivals formed up, a group of ten in total. Finally two more soldiers arrived behind the others, but strangely didn't join them.

"What now?" Asked the boy. The girl sighed, her eyes watering.

"Now we give up, we've lost." They raised their hands. The HIVE troops started forward, all expect the last two, they tossed their guns aside and also raised a hand. The girl's eyes widened in shock as glowing balls formed in their hands, then she began to smile at the main group of soldiers. The leader faced her angrily.

"What're you smiling about girl?" She just kept smiling until the cry came from behind the troops.

"SPIRIT FORM!" Shouted two voices in unison, "UNITY!"

The HIVE troops whipped around as the two mysterious Shaman exploded into action, jumping up and dive bombing into the midst of the troops, flooring three and forcing the rest back before charging at individual targets.

The pair, now forgotten on the side lines, looked at each other and grinned.

"Shall we join the party?" Asked the girl cheerily.

"Yeah, let's heat things up." Replied the boy eagerly. "But Spirit Unity only for you, we may need your Spirit Control as a surprise." The girl nodded, then they raised their hands.

"SPIRIT FORM! UNITY!"

(Section divider – don't delete.)

After the pair joined the fight, it was over in less than a minute.

"We'll have to hurry," The masked figure was saying "They'll get more troops soon and…" but froze as the girl pulled her hood off.

The disguised Shaman removed their helmets. When they girl caught sight of who had saved them she just stared.

"Raven?" She asked, finally finding her voice.

"J-Jinx?" Replied Raven, equally stunned. Meanwhile the two boys were looking at each other, then recognition dawned in the hooded boy's eyes.

"Hi Beast Boy." He said, Jinx's gaze swapped from Raven to Beast Boy and back again, dumbfounded.

"Um, dude, do I know you?" Replied Beast Boy cluelessly. The boy had short, red-brown hair and wore dark, loose-fitting clothes, Beast Boy didn't recall seeing him before. The boy looked at himself then laughed lightly.

"I guess I looked a lot different when we last saw each other, although, so did you," He offered Beast Boy his hand, "Nice to see you again, I'm Hotspot." Beast Boy grinned as realisation dawned and he took the offered hand.

"Oh yeah, from that Hero's Tournament con that crazy elf Game Master tried to pull on us, good to see you too man, how ya been?" Hotspot's face fell as he recalled the events which led to this situation.

"Not too good I'm afraid, after Hao and the Shaman council made their rounds-"

"Wait a second," Raven broke in, "You saw Hao, he came to see you?" Hotspot nodded.

"He didn't just stop at you Titans, he went to see a bunch of super powered people, even HIVE members like Jinx."

"And what happened?" Inquired Beast Boy.

"Luckily, the Shaman council found me before Hao did, so I never lost my spirit, I just can't perform Spirit Control right now, only Spirit Unity with my Guardian Ghost, Gan Ning." He indicated the pirate-like man wielding a wickedly curved sword who was deep in conversation with Ma Chao and Sun Shang Xiang, both of whom were smiling broadly.

"Anyway," he turned back to Raven and Beast Boy, "I decided that my best bet was to find you guys and help out in trying to get everyone back to full strength."

Beast Boy mulled this over while Raven turned to Jinx.

"And you, what's your story, are you here to give us trouble?" She demanded. Jinx shook her head.

"Nope, believe it or not, I'm here to help, and my Guardian Ghost, Zhen Ji is too." The spectral woman nodded briefly at them before floating over to the other spirits.

"But why?" Beast Boy interjected, "No offence but you've never been on our side before, and it seems a little unlikely that you'd jump ship now." Jinx's face contorted in anger.

"You think you Titans are the only ones who've lost something thanks to Hao?" She snapped, "Thanks to that freak I lost Gizmo and Mammoth, my only true friends before I met Hotspot," a slight blush came across Hotspot's cheeks when she said this, but she didn't seem to notice, "and I don't even know if they're still alive or not, not to mention that he wiped out half the HIVE academy at the same time, and captured most of the others, the only ones left have been after me," her eyes darted briefly to Hotspot, "and him for weeks trying to get us back the academy just to boost their ranks. They've chased us halfway around the world, and they're still at it as you saw earlier on, so don't think you've got it so hard just because you've lost your powers for a little while, we all have. Although," her anger changed to smugness, "it seems like you two are still on Spirit Unity, while I'm already back to Spirit Control, I may not be as strong as I was, but I can still take you down." Hotspot grasped her arm.

"Easy Jinx, we've been trying to find these guys, remember? It won't do anyone any good for us to be fighting amongst ourselves." Jinx rested her hand on top of his, then sighed deeply.

"You're right," she turned to the Titans, "sorry you guys, we really are her to help, but sometimes it's just a little hard to deal with what's happened." She smiled ruefully, and the Titans returned the favour. Beast Boy stepped forward.

"Hey, it's okay, we're glad for the help, we may need it, that Hao seems like one bad dude."

"Hao is the least of your problems fools!" Shouted a voice from high up. All four of them looked up to see a boy about their age with spiky black hair brandishing a deadly looking spear standing on top of the school.

"Can we help you?"

"Yes," replied the boy, grinning manically, "YOU CAN DIE!" he yelled, diving off the building he swung the spear and a crescent energy wave shot at them, all four of them dived out of the way, just in time. They scrambled upright just as the boy landed and stood up.

"Come now," he said mockingly, "I thought you were Shaman, call your spirits and we'll battle." Hotspot sneered.

"Four against one, you won't stand a chance."

"If you're so confident then try it." Jinx shrugged.

"Alright but you asked for it." The four raised their hands and called their Guardian Ghosts.

"Gan Ning!" A red ball formed in Hotspot's palm.

"Zhen Ji!" A pink globe formed at Jinx's fingertips.

"Ma Chao!" Green energy formed in Beast Boy's grasp.

"Sun Shang Xiang!" Raven held a purple sphere.

"Spirit Form! Unity!" They cried in unison as they plunged the essences into their bodies. After the glow faded they drew themselves to full height, and faced their challenger.

"Okay guys, let's do this, but watch out for his weapon." Warned Raven. The boy chuckled slightly.

"I don't need my Wan-Dou to beat you amateurs," he tossed the weapon behind him without looking and it embedded into the wall, "I am Tao Ren, and I will be Shaman King, I will defeat you all with my bare hands!" He charged at Beast Boy, Beast Boy leapt up to avoid the attack but Ren disappeared and reappeared in front of him, before he could react, Ren kneed him full force in the stomach and he fell down and hit the ground hard.

"Beast Boy, hold on!" Jinx and Hotspot rushed at Tao Ren while Raven helped Beast Boy to his feet.

"You okay?" He nodded.

"Yeah, but that guy hits hard, we'll have to be careful." Raven nodded, then looked over to where Jinx and Hotspot were trying in vain to land a hit on Tao Ren, but he dodged each of their strikes.

"C'mon, let's help." The Titans rushed back to the battle just as Tao Ren forced Jinx off balance and kicked her across the courtyard, where she hit the wall.

Stars flashing before her eyes, Jinx struggled up and looked over at the fight, her friends were dodging the attacks but just barely, she shook her head to clear it and looked up in time to see Raven get tossed into the air like a rag doll, Beast Boy jumped up and caught her, but that left only Hotspot actively fighting Tao Ren, and he was losing.

Arms crossed in a guard position, Hotspot tried to withstand the onslaught of punches Tao Ren was sending his way.

_I can't keep this up forever, we have to find a way to end this quick._

Tao Ren looked at the four fighters and scowled. "You call yourself Shaman, you can barely use 10 of your Guardian Ghost's power while I can use my spirit's full potential. If this is the best you can do then you might as well just give up now." Hotspot smirked at this.

"Good thing for us this isn't the best we can do then isn't it? JINX NOW!"

"Detach spirit!" Yelled Jinx as she leapt up, her hands sliding out of her sleeves, revealing studded bracelets, "Now, Zhen Ji, into the bangles!" There was a flash of light as Jinx landed, and when it faded Jinx looked up at Tao Ren and raised her hands. Hexes sprang from her hands and raced towards Tao Ren. He sprang out of the way, just in time, worry evident on his face.

"It can't be, Spirit Control! I can't fight that with simple Spirit Unity!" He landed on the courtyard wall and looked back at the regrouping warriors, glaring at jinx directly.

"This isn't over girl, not by a long shot!" Jinx fired a hex at him but he dived over the wall and was gone. The four Shaman disengaged their Spirit Forms and faced each other, no-one spoke for a few minutes as the tension mounted. Finally, Beast Boy broke the silence.

"Wow Jinx, that was pretty impressive, good job." Jinx coloured slightly, embarrassed by the praise. Raven joined Beast Boy in congratulating her.

"He's right Jinx, you did well, you too Hotspot."

"Thanks you guys, although we couldn't have done it without you two." Hotspot replied.

"Yeah, you owe us big time." Beast Boy joked. Everyone laughed at this, then Hotspot calmed down and looked at Raven.

"So, any ideas on where we go now? We were looking for the Titans so we're pretty much following you guys now."

"We're trying to find Starfire right now, we heard a rumour that a flying girl with red hair was seen round here in the last few days, so we're trying to gather as much information as we can so we can find out where she went." Raven explained.

"Alright," Jinx agreed, "Sound like a plan, let's go!"

Author's note: Anyone who's done a TT story with Jinx that I've reviewed knows my opinion of her, and Hotspot I thought would be a good character to use as he's a total blank, he speaks once in the cartoon then gets beaten by Robin, although he fights pretty well. Some have voiced the opinion that he's modelled of Joto from the original comics, I don't buy it so I'm not gonna use it, the producers of the Teen Titans cartoon own the appearance, but for now his personality is mine to mould, and I'm hoping to keep him as a main character, not just on the sidelines.

R&R please


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